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Three Exercises for a STRONG Birth

Whether you get an epidural or not, birthing a baby takes strength and power. If you think you’re going to experience a few contractions that will just hurt a little bit, and then you’ll get an epidural and lie there until the doctor or midwife says to push… or if you think that you’ll “try” to go natural and you might “try” squatting… or even if you are planning a c-section… well, labor and delivery and recovery – no matter what type of birth you are hoping for – will take the MOST stamina and endurance ever required of you!

If you go natural, you’ll need to be physically prepared to change positions, sitting, standing, squatting, kneeling on all fours to work with your body and baby as the rushes move your baby through the birth canal. If you have a c-section, your abdominals will be cut through, and the stronger they are before that surgery, the faster recovery you’ll make. If you have an epidural, you still need to practice perfect pushing … and it’s NOT like pushing out a big poo!

Knowing how to push right, having the strength to be in the position that is most comfortable for you during contractions, being connected to your abdominals so your core can work for you and not against you – ALL of that is KEY to a successful strong birth! Here are three exercises you can work on NOW for a better birthing experience.

Squatting

I squatted at various times during both of my natural hospital labors. It was part of my very long type-written birth plan, and the doula-trained nurses were ready for me! With my daughter, I used a squatting bar. With my son, I had one arm around my husband’s neck and one around my best friend’s neck while I squatted. My husband later said he was worried about me tearing his head completely off as I roared our son into the world.

Don’t assume you know how to squat just because you’ve watered a forest floor at some point in your life. It would be awful to come out of delivery with no tears “down there” but the start of a tear in your knee cartilage! Good squatting form is something to practice and build strength for PRIOR to pregnancy and during your pregnancy. It takes muscle, endurance and a little know-how so you don’t wreck your knees while giving birth. Click here for a FREE video from Beth called “All the little things about squats.”

The Deep Plie Squat – Also known as the goddess pose in Yoga. Your knees and feet should both be aligned WIDE, just outside your hip line. If your knees are wider or narrower than your feet or turned a different direction than your toes, then you are asking for cartilage damage. Find and practice this BEFORE labor so your flexibility has improved enough for you to sink into it naturally when the urge comes. Again, don’t assume that getting an epidural means you won’t be doing some squats. Many friends of mine who got epidurals were still placed in squatting positions by their nurses when baby wouldn’t come down.

Ball on Wall – lean against a ball against a wall while doing regular squats, so that your body is upright and you don’t increase your diastasis by leaning forward too much (good to lean forward during birth and while “spinning babies”…not good to lean forward a lot during exercise while pregnancy. READ: no planks, mamas!). Be sure you can see your toes peeking out from under your knees. Squeeze your glutes on the way up. Exhale to engage your core on the way down. If you feel any knee discomfort, adjust your stance.

Transverse Tightening

Take a deep breath and let your belly expand with air. Now exhale and pull your navel inward toward your spine. This “vacuum” or “sucking in” motion utilizes your corset muscle, formally known as your transverse abdominus (TVA). During pregnancy, your TVA gets very stretched out, as do the rest of your ab muscles, causing a natural diastasis recti (split in your six-pack). Yourdiastasis will close MUCH faster if you find your transverse, work it, connect to it, use it during labor, and start using it again right after birth. Tightening your transverse is more important than crunches and planks, because this is your flattening muscle that assists the uterus in pushing during labor.

Your TVA is also the muscle you want to focus on while binding your belly after birth! Many moms will see their pooch after baby comes and “feel fat” and immediately think crunches and/or planks are the answer. That is so far from the truth, and if you have a trainer who thinks that a postnatal body should do crunches or planks, sack ’em because they aren’t up the current research! Before and after birth, your TVA is your best friend for getting your hot body back! Check out these articles on avoiding crunches and the role of your transverse abdominis.

This article by the Colic Calm Journal has some great info about TVA, crunches and diastasis, but I disagree with not laughing during pregnancy! Also, she talks about how front carriers make diastasis worse (my Ergo helped mine!)

This is a research abstract that studied “The Effects of an Exercise Program on Diastasis Recti Abdominis in Pregnant Women” as published in the Journal of Women’s Health Physical Therapy Volume 29, No 1 Spring, 2005

The MuTu system in the UK has some amazing info on this condition as well! She has a stellar 12-week program for moms who are ready to heal their diastasis and start implementing fitness as well!

Side Bridge

Okay, this is one of my favorite exercises of all time. I was able to do it clear to the end of both of my pregnancies, and it’s a great alternative to the plank or crunches. It won’t make your diastasis worse, and it works your triceps, shoulders, medial glutes, obliques and more muscles than my fingers can type right now! What’s more, the side bridge has so many modifications that you’ll never get bored. We feature many side bridge (sometimes called the side plank) styles and alternatives all over in our Maternity Mix workouts! Our new mama members just love them! Do them on your elbow and knees, or on your elbow and feet, or on your hand and knees, or on your hand and feet, or add side leg motions, or hold a dumbbell and …. you see? Who needs crunches????

You have the strength to carry a child on the inside, and you’ll have the strength to carry that child on the outside if you keep your body AND your mind strong. Your body was CREATED to give birth, to bring forth life, to nurture life. You’ll know what to do in each moment of birth and beyond, but will you listen to yourself?

Beth Learn

Hi there! I'm the founder and CEO of Fit2B Studio, LLC here at fit2b.com where you are hanging out right now! As you may {or may not} know, we provide home fitness routines and resources for those who wish to get all-over strong starting with their cores! We are your warm up for life, and our mission is "Changing lives one tummy at a time." Why? So you can look better in a swimsuit? Well, that's a lovely side-effect of our workouts, but my heart is to help you be a stronger contributor to your family, community, and world! I believe your core matters because it’s at the middle of you, and you are in the middle of your home which is where your ability to make a difference in this world starts! If your middle is muddled, then everything you’re in the middle of - motherhood, ministry, making dinner (yes I love alliterations) - will be muddled by your middle’s muddling. Say that five times fast. Ha! Anyway, yeah, I live on a little farm in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and two children, 14 chickens, 3 goats, 4 cats, 2 horses, 1 Digory Dog and a Chihuahua named Charlie who is NOT allowed inside for very good reasons. My hobbies include reading very long historical fiction novels, natural homesteading, fermenting foods, race walking, crocheting rag rugs out of t-shirt yarn, a little bit of piano, and OF COURSE lifting heavy things and playing with exercise props! Join me here at Fit2B and find a new perspective on working out that will create lasting changes in your body and mind!

Hey no worries about the link I just loved your post! I hope you won’t mind, but it reminded me of one I did a LONG time ago about my birth experiences… my birth plans were thrown out with the birth pool water & it absolutely didn’t go to plan :(( Big wake up call. Big lesson in… well lots of things! But the biggest lesson of all – if we’re strong we can cope. Hope you like it xx https://mutusystem.com/could-be-anything-youve-had-a-lot-of-drugs.html

Great article Bethany! I love that you included binding/splinting. I think most of my post-partum clients don’t realize that they actually have a separation (even a small one) and that it can be taken care of quickly if they splint and do the right exercises after childbirth. It inspired me to eventually designed a splint (the FITsplint) http://www.mombodfitness.com/fitsplint-post-natal.html because I couldn’t find a decent post-partum wrap/splint out there 🙂

Hmm, I thought I commented already but I’m not seeing it here… I was wondering if the link for correct pushing could be fixed. My due date is coming up here and I had some major horrible four hours of pushing with my first kid. Really enjoying your site! Thanks for sharing all that you have learned!

I’m loving your site abs all the articles. thank you! I wonder if you saw Lacy’s comment above about fixing the link to “perfect pushing”. I’m very interested in that as well! I was always told to di it like “pushing out a big poo” (haha), and have birthed 2 children with that notion. I’m excited to learn the correct way 🙂

Hi adri, I’m glad you’re enjoying Fit2B !!! Unfortunately, links expire and businesses reroute their websites, so I’ll probably just have to take that one down unless I can figure out where her new url is. Meanwhile, I strongly recommend The Tummy Team’s prenatal core program! https://thetummyteam.com/on-line-education/programs/?ap_id=fit2b

Thank you for the wonderful exercises! I am very new to your site, but I’m trying to take it all in. I have diastis leftover from my second pregnancy, possibly my first, and am due soon with my third. I have also developed a cytocele this time around. Can you tell me if these exercises are safe to do with a prolapse? Trying for my third natural unmediated birth! ☺️

The information included on this website and its videos has been written by Beth Learn.
She is not able to provide you with medical advice. You may use this information as a guide. You cannot hold Beth Learn or Fit2B liable in any way for any injuries that may occur whilst training.